Gov. Easley's hot old time in Asheville

Gov. Mike Easley held a group interview with print reporters the other day in the Executive Mansion, followed by a separate group interview with broadcast reporters. It’s a way for the governor to save time because he doesn’t have to meet separately with every newspaper, radio station and TV station – and as he freely admits, “I don’t like meetings.”
Most of the talk was about state policy – taxes, the legislature, schools and the like. But one reporter got the governor telling stories, and it turns out he’s not only a bad race car driver – having wrecked one at the speedway and endured an excessive burnout in another in front of the mansion. He’s also dangerous around fire.
Reporter Kerra Bolton of the Asheville Citizen had asked him how often he used the Western Governor’s Residence in Asheville and tried to get him to tell some funny stories about the place. Easley wouldn’t tell a story about an old patrol car the staff keeps nearby to discourage mischief, but "It does run, I'll tell you that." Or at least did. There must be more to this story.
But Easley told one story about the time he lit an old gas grill that was just under the residence's garage roof. This may be an exaggeration, but it sounds as though he nearly set the place afire when the flames came rushing out of the top of the tank. He managed to finally turn it off after getting a wet towel to smother the flames, which must have been impressive.
“I had flames coming sky high,” the governor said to the enjoyment of the assembled scribes. “Singed all the hair off my right arm.”
Someone asked what were his security guards doing.
“My security people ran, I’ll admit that....They were ready to push the thing off the side of the mountain.” And they shouted some good advice as they ran, Easley said: “Be careful governor.... Get away from there.”
Perhaps they had seen him drive before.